We at SydneyPubGuide.net think that the layout of a pub can be as important as any other factor in a pub's success. We're personally very fond of 'island' bars, where you can walk all the way around the pub, rather like a lion circling it's prey, and get a drink at any point on that walk. The Porterhouse has such a bar.

We also believe that the friendliness of the crowd and the staff is an important factor. The Porterhouse scores well there too. Another belief, held be a minority in the team (but I'm writing the review, after all), states that the pub should have Guinness (or Coopers) and the quality and treatment of said brew must be correct.

Well, the Porterhouse does a damn good Guinness, I'll tell you that.

It's not a particularly old pub, and it's not a pub that screams "I am an Irish theme pub" at you when you enter. It doesn't need to, it's just a damn good bar. The symbol of the pub, in the shape of racked barrels above the arched bar, is as distinctive as it is unobtrusive, and the decor is unforced and relaxed.

All in all an excellent pub, and we have no hesitation in recommending it.